1. Technical Field
Aspects of this document relate generally to pet tags. More specific implementations involve pet tag structures configured to protect one or more images marked on one or both sides of a pet tag.
2. Background Art
Conventionally, pet tags come in many sizes and shapes. They are traditionally made of plastic or a metallic material such as anodized aluminum, chrome or brass. Anodized aluminum pet tags may be colored, stained or have a decorative design printed on them during tag manufacture. Pet tags are conventionally marked with information about the pet, such as the pet's name, address, owner, registration numbers, and the like. The marking is most typically done with a diamond tipped stylus, stamped into the surface of the tag or laser etched onto the surface of the tag. Sometimes, pet tags are added to devices that include electronics such as lights or locating beacons.
After marking, tags are sometimes modified by adding a tag silencer in the form of an encasement like a box, or a removable plastic or rubber sleeve with a window opening to silence the tags from clanging together. U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,426 to Schaible (issued Apr. 9, 2002) describes an example of a pet tag silencer pocket. Another form of tag silencer that is conventionally sometimes sold separately and added to a pet tag after marking is a rubber frame that lines the edges of the pet tag to muffle the sound of the tags clanging against each other.
Typically, pets have more than one pet tag. Each pet typically has a tag from the state to indicate the pet's registration information, one or more pet tags from the pet's owner with the pet's name, home address and phone number, a tag from the pet's veterinarian stating that the pet has been vaccinated, and one or more additional tags or decorations hanging from the pet's collar. Conventional pet tags have the conventional problem that as the multiple tags rub together when they hang from the pet's collar and the conventional tag surfaces rub against the pet's feeding bowl, they have a strong tendency to wear down over time to a point where the words on the tag are distorted or no longer readable. Because the pet tags are typically used for the safety of the animal and the public, this is a known problem causing pet owners concern.
Others have attempted to solve this known problem by engraving deeper letters in tags made of stronger metal, such as stainless steel or brass. These too, however, eventually wear down, are not conducive to public kiosk-type creation, and are more expensive than conventional anodized aluminum tags.